Re: Got a Job Interview - Anyone heard of 'em?

[JoeRaisin <joeraisin2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jim wrote:
> On Aug 17, 9:35 am, JoeRaisin <joeraisin2...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Joe!!!!!!
>
> Are you in this for you or for THEM?????
>
> They wouldn't hesitate for a second to tell you you're laid offl
>
> As I said before, if you ever want to be on your own, you've got to
> treat your employers as a place that you go to get educated and take
> advantage of what they offer you to use as a stepping stone to reach
> YOUR goal.
>
> If you think otherwise, and think that it will pay off, you just get
> back to me someday when you HAVEN'T reached your present goal and tell
> me how many of the places that you used to work for are helping you to
> be happy and helping you to pay your bills.
>
> This is YOUR future that you're playing with. They will be where they
> want to be in the future.... with or without you and you've got to
> think of them in the same way.
>
> Look, without knowing the details, you could do this ..... Lets say
> your interview is at 2PM. Make the ride to your class, get a phone
> call from home that there's an emergency ( make up one that only you
> must attend) and make your profuse apologies and determined inquirys
> into how you can make up the class on your own time etc, etc and go to
> the interview. Be prepared the next day to relate all the trouble you
> had getting home in traffic and how tied up you were into the wee
> hours of the morning with your "emergency" If you get the job, you get
> it. If you don't you still have this one to cover your ass until the
> next opportunity comes up.
>
> I can remember many many years ago, I got laid off from a factory job
> I had when I first got out of the Navy. I landed a job at a grundgy
> mail order electronics place. The guy loved me because I had an
> electronics background and almost all of the other people he had
> working for him, didn't have a clue. It was really low pay and I was
> working pumping gas and in a grocery store warehouse at the same time.
> Had very little time to look for a job but would fit in phone calls
> during lunch and other breaks setting up interviews. I'd set up an
> interview at 1:00PM give the excuse that I had to go home and bring my
> wife to the doctor or whatever, I'd go out to my car, change into a
> suit and tie in the back seat of the car, do the interview, come back
> whenever change back to my work clothes in the car .... with a big
> story of what happened at the doctor and a hard time story about
> having no insurance and increase drug bills and how sick the kids
> were ....... and all would be well. Eventually the guy wanted to pay
> me more and make me in charge of a department, still at much a lower
> pay than I needed. ( he didn't know that I was working two other jobs
> so I could pay the bills) But when I finally landed a better job, I
> just told him that I found a better job and was leaving. I gave him
> the two weeks that I told my new employer I felt obligated to give,
> and left. I still worked the other two jobs for quite some time. Once
> you get used to only 5 hours sleep and you're still in your 20's ....
> you can do that. But long hours and little sleep does get you in
> practice for when you own your own business. Also, it prepares you for
> times in the future when one of your employee might try to do the same
> thing to you. Ya see how it works?
>
> And by the way, if sales is your weak point, see if you can find some
> kind of course on line or a home video course and learn some of the
> sales techniques. Sales is simply a pre arranged plan of what your are
> going to say when someone gives you an objection. It's just something
> that takes practice( some of which you can do on your own) and some on
> the job training helps too. Even though I had sales background before
> I got into this trade, when I started on my own business, I found
> someone who was a freelance salesman for an alarm company and I would
> go out with him in the evenings to see what he did. It didn't take but
> 3 or  4 times with him to be able to apply my background to what he
> was doing. So if you've taken some sales courses and learned some of
> the techniques you just need to practice and a little on the job
> experience and once you make your first few successful sales calls,
> you're on your way.
>
> It's just something that you have to make your mind up that you're
> going to have to do and DO IT. If you don't, just because you think
> you 'suck" at it, you just put your self closer to that group of techs
> that don't make it because they didn't have the talents other then
> their technical skills. As I said, ya gotta know how to run a business
> as well as do the technical stuff, if you want to be on your own and
> be successful. Sales is just one part of it.
>

Thanks for the advice Jim, but what it really comes down to, as much as
I hate to admit it, is that I am just far too cowardly to continue
trying to make a go of my own business.  Until I started this summer job
I couldn't even get those five hours of sleep and felt like throwing up
most of the time.

I admire you guys that had the balls to do it - even if it went well, I
don't think I could have taken the stress for long.

Oh and BTW:

I spoke today with a former employee of this company and got his opinion
of what will suck and what won't.  We discussed what I was told at the
interview and for the most part I was given straight scoop - with the
politics left out - which is what finally had him seeking employment
elsewhere.  He did say that, to be fair, he was a machinist before and
after and likes it a whole lot more.

It will be long hours and lots of driving (though he did say that the
guys using their own vehicles were kept closer to home) but that part
doesn't bother me.  The income can be inconsistent but he said the good
money is on the installs and that he averaged 2.5 to 3k a month - some
didn't do so well, a few did better, on average.  By comparison 2.5K was
a lot of overtime at my old job and about the most I ever made in a
month (these are before tax figures).

Even the low side (meaning drop in installs with mostly service calls)
will be more than enough to make the mortgage which is my biggest
concern right now.  The savings have dried up.

I have also managed to push back my start date a few weeks, so there's a
good chance I'll know about my other opportunity before I start.  That
was important too.  In case you've missed it, I'm a sober drunk (20 yrs)
and part of that is I try not to do too much that makes me feel like I'm
being dishonest (but don't get me wrong - to feed and shelter my family
I'll do what it takes).

I'm keeping mt fingers crossed that the place I'm doing the summer gig
for works out.  Fun job, good people and it's close to home.